by Nikolaus J. Kurmayer and Tobias Gerhard Schminke
The communist party KPOplus made huge gains and secured a solid fourth place in its best supralocal election result since at least World War II in the Salzburg state elections on Sunday, which also had the far-right FPO make the second-largest gains and the centre-right secure the first spot needed to lead a coalition again.
With federal elections scheduled for autumn next year, Salzburg’s state elections have become an important mood tester in a country where opinion polls are conducted sparingly.
“We have managed to convince those who no longer know who to vote for,” said lead candidate Kay-Michael Dankl on Sunday night as his party earned 11.7% of the vote.
KPOplus would aim to be a constructive opposition party, he added.
The centre-right OVP secured first place but only managed to place barely above 30% – quite the drop compared to the 37.8% it gained in the last Salzburg elections of 2018.
Coming in second, the far-right FPO obtained 25%, continuing its streak of massive gains as it secured an additional 7% compared to the previous elections.
These results would allow the two parties to form a coalition. Whether they choose to do so will be watched with bated breath by wider Austria.
At the same time, the centre-left SPO made minor losses as it came in third with 18%, while the Greens obtained 8%. The social liberal NEOS obtained 4.1% – below the needed voting threshold.
*first published in: Euractiv.com
By: N. Peter Kramer
